I've been doing my best to gain a healthy amount and not any excess since back in April. My baby is due just after the middle of December and I'm really looking forward to healing up and getting back on track sometime after the new year.

What's been interesting to me is watching my weight climb throughout the pregnancy around the same rate it was falling when I was losing! My doctor says I should take at least 6 weeks before I try to get back into any routine, and I plan on easing back into walking and swimming at that time to see how it goes. I've set a solid goal to restart C25K training on March 5th, which will also mark the second anniversary of my healthier life reboot. My ultimate goal for 2014 though is to get under 200 pounds (I was at 215 pre-pregnancy and am currently at 235), and we'll see how challenging that is while attempting to nurse (this is my first baby, so I know I'm in for a lot of new experiences).

People are telling me I'l look and feel 3-5 months pregnant when I leave the hospital, and that breast-feeding will help my uterus shrink back down. I'm not horribly fixated on that, but I'm anxious to see where I'll be in the few months after. I didn't get to enjoy my relatively small stomach for very long before getting pregnant, and since this 8-month-pregnant belly feels "normal" and much like my old self I'll be ecstatic to have it any smaller than it is now!

So in short, I'm challenging myself to do well throughout the stress and excess of the holidays, plus the challenges I'll face as a first-time mother. And I'm not having high expectations for what my body will be like immediately after the baby. These things take time, right? But there's so much to be excited about in the coming year!

Ugh, it's so easy to forget how much I'd actually lost before getting pregnant. I'd worked so hard to get down to 215 and joked about wanting that old body back at my last centering class, but I got lectured about how I'll "never" get that old body back. But back when I was at my highest my stomach was stretched way beyond where it'll expand to in the next month; I've already got the loose, sagging skin and stretchmarks so I'm not exactly expecting miracles once I have the baby. Even if my proportions end up changing a bit I'm still really excited at the idea of whittling my belly back down.

I know I can work my way under 200 pounds this next year, I just know it. I totally know I can get smaller than the point I'd hit when I first got pregnant . . .

Remember this, The baby is usually 7 ish lbs average and the Placenta weighs almost as much so that is about 14 ish lbs minimum you will lose just by giving birth! Thats way close to your low weight PLUS breast feeding helps women lose weight by burning a few extra calories. You totally got this! Also bonus as weird as it is..as you said you have the stretch marks already so no extra skin damage from being pregnant. After all this you will have an amazing angle to hold and no you wont ever have your old body back because you will have a smaller one, One that has given life to a miracle and continues to help give life to it plus a new figure to match!! Congrats on the pregnancy I look forward to seeing your progress to delivery and beyond!